News

M.Ed. José María Riobóo Martín, President of the Board of Directors and Ms. Mary-Jo Gill, Head of School, are pleased to announce that Westhill Institute has been authorized to deliver the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program to students in grades 6 to 10. Westhill Institute is currently one of only 12 schools in the Mexican republic in which the International Baccalaureate Program is offered to students ages 3 to 19, or pre-kindergarten to grade 12.

After a rigorous and comprehensive onsite review by a team of professional educators appointed by the International Baccalaureate Organization’s regional headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, the authorization review team commended Westhill's students, faculty, parents, and school leaders for their relentless and focused dedication to continuous school improvement. As an integral part of the school’s strategic plan to enhance the overall quality of academic offerings for all of its students, the IB Middle Years Program provides teachers and students with a teaching and learning methodology that is student centered and inquiry-based. In addition, the program integrates an intensive focus on character development, through the IB Learner Profile, into all of the eight subject areas that comprise the curriculum. The three International Baccalaureate Programs available at Westhill Institute endeavor to develop internationally- minded students by promoting an educational environment that focuses on the creative and innovative solutions to real world problems in a global context.

Westhill Institute’s authorization for the IB Middle Years Program is the culmination of a project that began in 2010. The goal of this project was to provide the three IB programs for students of all ages and grade levels. As a result of the school’s dedication and commitment to this goal, the the IB Diploma Program for students in grades 11 and 12 was authorized in 2012. The IB Primary Years Program for children in pre-K to grade 5 was implemented and authorized in 2014.

Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate® (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation offering four highly respected programs of international education that develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills needed to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. Schools must be authorized, by the IB organization, to offer any of the programs. The IB has a hard-earned reputation for high standards of teaching, pedagogical leadership and student achievement. The International Baccalaureate Organization works with schools, governments and international organizations around the world to develop challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment.

Westhill Institute is an international American school founded in 1992 and located in the Santa Fe section of Mexico City The school provides an educational program that is aligned with the rigorous academic requirements of the Common Core State Standards in the United States and
the International Baccalaureate Organization’s three school-wide programs. Westhill graduates attend some of the best universities not only in Mexico but also in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. In addition, Westhill Institute provides an inclusive educational environment that focuses on individualized instruction, attention to each student’s academic and emotional challenges, and the development of near-native levels of literacy in English language skills. Students from 43 different countries and cultures attend Westhill Institute and all actively participate in a community of learners that genuinely understands and appreciates the value of diversity as a pathway to creating a more peaceful world.

In addition to authorization by the International Baccalaureate Organization to provide the three IB programs at Westhill, the school is also accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS/ AdvancED), and the Texas Alliance of Accredited Private Schools (TAAPS), all based in the United States. Westhill Institute is the only school in Mexico with six international accreditations.

On May 5th elementary and preschool students at Carpatos were given the opportunity to show just creative they can be! Students were joined by artists in an initiative arranged by Charity Coalition to create monotype prints which were then auctioned for charity.

Grade 6 MYP science students shared their space movie projects in the first annual science film festival. Learners inquired into the concept of space and transferred this knowledge into a short movie. Well done to all our budding directors and Miss Vanessa Scott.

Middle and high school students demonstrated their international-mindedness by taking part in a conference on the Arab-Israeli conflict from his excellency, Mohamed Saadat, Palestinian Ambassador to Mexico. The following week there was the opportunity to get a balanced view of the Arab-Israeli conflict with a conference from Ing. José Penhos Halabe. Students were able to have their questions answered and to share their artwork which was developed through an interdisciplinary unit between IB DP history and visual arts.

We are very happy to hear that Westhill alumna from the class of 2012, Carolina Mejia Latrilleaux, has had her short film accepted to the Short Film Corner at Cannes and at the International Film Festival for Children and Teenagers AniFest ROZAFA in Albania.

This week, our tenth grade students have presented their personal project products to the community. They were joined by their parents, mentors, and peers in a celebration of work. The MYP personal project is the culminating project for the five-year program, in which students choose their own topic of interest and develop a statement of inquiry related to one of the six MYP global contexts. Learners are encouraged to reflect throughout and integrate the approaches to learning skills they have developed throughout the program. Among the 30 projects were

Congratulations to our Mathcounts team who took part in the ASOMEX competition in Guadalajara. The team finished in third place out of 15 teams, with Xiao Wen Lee and Nuno de Alameida Matus finishing in 12th and 19th places respectively in the individual competition of 140 students. The team, led by teachers Carlos Romero and Joaquin Perez, will now enter the next round in the Tri-Association competition, which take place in Monterrey in March

Creativity and appreciation are essential attitudes that lifelong learners develop and demonstrate. The Valentine’s poetry contest exemplified how our secondary students can put these attitudes into action. The two winning entrants were Alejandro Gavira (904) and Jason Lu Kim (903).

On February 9-11, 2015, Westhill Institute proudly exhibited the artwork of the 12th grade students who are candidates for the Diploma Program in Visual Arts. There were six 12th grade students who exhibited their artwork, including, Alejandro Serrano Deneken, Juliana Jaramillo Jaramillo, Fernanda Romero Donnadieu, Maria Villicana Notni, Ana Maria Currea Carrasco and Ana Patricia Lopez-Morton Servitje. The talented students’ artworks were of varied media, including pencil sketches, oil and acrylic paintings, photography, and sculpture. Also, exhibiting their artworks were six 11th grade students were who will be candidates for the Diploma Program in Visual Arts during the 2016-2017 school year. The 11th grades students included Sara al Rowaily, Andres Alejandro Bermudez Vivas, Sana Yasuda Sakata, Sy Yoon Lee, Stefany Davila Hernandez, and Regina Laura Ruiz Figueroa.

In January, our elementary students took part in the first annual Westhill Institute Spelling Bee competition. Initial rounds took place between individual grade levels with the winners taking part in a final from grades one through five. The individual campus winners were Diego Pedrero (5th grade Carpatos) and Natalia Garcia Ordóñez (5th Grade Santa Fe).

M.Ed. José María Riobóo Martín, President of the Board of Directors, and Ms. Mary- Jo Gill, Head of School, are pleased to announce that Westhill Institute has been recommended for full international accreditation by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and re-accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/ AdvancED.

After a rigorous and comprehensive onsite review by a team of professional educators from the United States and Mexico, the accreditation review team commended Westhill's students, faculty, parents, and school leaders for their relentless and focused dedication to continuous school improvement. Our visitors were most impressed with the articulate way in which Westhill students expressed their appreciation for the creativity and dedication of their teachers to providing them with world-class preparation for success in university and in their professional lives afterward. Mr. John Marshall, the chair of the SAIS accreditation team, described the school best by saying, "This is a place that has children at the center of what it does." He also noted that the whole Westhill community enthusiastically embraces its mission and vision and a family atmosphere pervades the entire school.

The Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) is a private school accrediting agency based Alpharetta, Georgia. SAIS accredits schools in the southern part of the United Sates as well as international American schools in Mexico. AdvancED is a consortium of regional accrediting agencies from the United Sates as well. AdvancED works with schools to improve educational programs in more than 42 countries worldwide, including Mexico.

With a long history of commitment to international education, Westhill Institute is currently one of only four schools in the republic of Mexico with dual international accreditation in the United States.
In addition to accreditation by SAIS and SACS/AdvancED, Westhill Institute is also authorized to deliver the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program for children age 3 to grade 5 of elementary. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is at the core of the educational regimen for students in grades 11 and 12 of high school. And in April of 2016, the school will host an authorization visit from IB for its Middle Years Program for students in grades 6-10.

For more information about Westhill Institute, please contact:
Enrique Vargas, Director of School Improvement at wi.evargas@gmail.com
To arrange a campus tour and admissions information, please contact:
Alice Corral on 5588517086 or admissions.santafe@wi.edu.mx

The Westhill community will be pleased to welcome a team of six international educators from 24 January to 26 January. These school evaluators will review the academic programs of our school as well as many other important facets of student and community life at Westhill. Accreditation by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) will add an additional certification to Institute and will renew our existing accreditation the SACS/AdvancED.

Your participation in this important event is essential to our success. Parents, teachers, students, and the school leadership team are already diligently working to prepare for the arrival of the review team. If you would like to be part of this event, please contact Enrique Vargas, Director of School Improvement and SAIS Accreditation Coordinator at the Middle and High School campus in Santa Fe.